"He put himself in a bad situation" - Andrew Shaw on former Blackhawks teammate Kyle Beach's sexual assault incident

By Ankit Kumar

Modified May 26, 2023 21:01 GMT

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In a recent episode of "The Raw Knuckles" podcast, former NHL player Andrew Shaw shared his thoughts on the Kyle Beach incident that shocked the hockey world.

Shaw, alongside hosts Knuckles and Tim, delved into the timeline of events. He shed light on the players' limited knowledge about the situation until the following training camp.

Andrew Shaw stated, reflecting on the timing of the incident.

"I don't know, when it happened. It was the second round or third round, it might even have been going into finals. I honestly don't think any of the players knew anything about it until the following training camp."

Andrew Shaw emphasized the single-minded focus that consumes players during the playoffs, explaining,

"At that point in the playoffs, all you do is hockey, sleep, eat, hockey, sleep, eat, you know? They have you staying in hotels when you're at home because they want you just focusing on the game."

The former player revealed that news of the incident only reached the locker room after the playoffs, with players initially unaware of the identity of the individual involved. He mentioned that management, including Stan Bowman and Joel Quenneville, held a brief meeting before realizing it was an HR matter.

"But at that point, when it came in, I don't think they knew who it was like they didn't know it was Kyle," Shaw recalled. "From what I heard, management, the whole management had a quick meeting about it. But Stan Bowman and Q got wrapped up in it because obviously they're leaders in their own area, and they weren't in the meeting long because they figured that's an HR problem."

Shaw expressed his personal relationship with Kyle Beach, highlighting the support he received from him during their time together.

"I live with Kyle in Rockford. He was great to me, he helped me out pay rent my first two months. You know, he helped, you know, he paid for my groceries for a couple of weeks till I got a paycheck," Shaw revealed.

While Shaw had positive memories of Beach, he acknowledged the unfortunate situation and believed it could have been handled more effectively.

"It's a shame that something like this had to go that far when it could have been nipped in the bud pretty quick," he lamented. "From upper management, from HR, it should have nothing to do with the players and the coaching staff or the GM in that time."

Shaw concluded by reflecting on his own perspective as a 20-year-old player, stating,

"Obviously, it sucks, but you know as a 20-year-old, I would probably never put myself in that situation that Kyle was in. I would never have... Yeah, I mean, you can say I can say that, but obviously, I don't know what was going on with Kyle or anything going on in his head, but he put himself in a bad situation."

The conversation on "The Raw Knuckles" podcast provided Andrew Shaw with an opportunity to share his insights and personal experiences regarding the Kyle Beach incident.

More on Andrew Shaw's NHL career

Andrew Shaw is a retired ice hockey player from Canada. He was chosen by the Chicago Blackhawks in the fifth round (139th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Shaw enjoyed a successful 10-season career in the NHL, representing both the Blackhawks and the Montreal Canadiens.

Notably, he achieved the remarkable feat of winning the Stanley Cup twice with the Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015. Unfortunately, Andrew Shaw's career came to an end in 2021 due to the impact of multiple concussions he had suffered throughout his playing days.